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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. suit — in cards
  3. chest — of your body
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. chest — a box
  8. suit — to fit
  9. plane — a tool
  10. suit — clothes
  11. charge — a price
  12. pitch — completely
  13. spell — a short time
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. chest — of your body
  16. charge — electricity
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. kid — child
  21. kick — in football
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com